Would Elvis Have Liked Rap Music?

[ELVIS_]

Would Elvis have liked Rap "Music" if he was still alive?

Please Remark: Yes or No and Leave a reason why you think Elvis would or would not like Rap.:hmm:

Thanks

[debtdbruno]

hard to give an objective opinion as I hate it.
Honestly?.....I don't think so.....but who knows

[Diane]

I don't think he would have like it either nor the street gang look that goes with it.

[King Of The Whole World]

I don't think he would have like it either nor the street gang look that goes with it.

LOL. I don't think I could see Elvis with his pants down to his knees.

[Nicole Presley]

I think he wouldn´t like rap because in rap people only talk and don´t think. And because rappers always insult other people.

[J.P]

i think he would have liked rap music cos he was all kinda music appreciator.

[elvia7]

LOL. I don't think I could see Elvis with his pants down to his knees.


Good comment Chris :lol:(y)(y)(y)

[ELVIS_]

so far we got some interesting views on the subject.
I agree with Nichole that due to the negative nature of it and most these rappers can't sing to save their lives.
The one's that try to sing are so off key that it makes Mike Tyson in The Hangover sound like a pro.

The Only thing that sounds like Elvis doing Rap I found was this..lol
Starting at (0:29)

http://youtu.be/aL5Q101Zg_8?t=29s

[KPM]

No, because of the negative message that a lot of rap sends and possibly he may have thought (like Chuck Berry) it is more backbeat and rhyme than it is music.

[Raised on Rock]

Rap is not that far away from Talking Blues, and Hip Hop is the grandson of R&B. We know Elvis was an R&B freak and loved the blues.

I think mostly he would have objected to the street drugs, crime, gangs and pimps image/message of it. But not everything in rap and hip hop is about that, and there are some smart people talented enough to go beyond the frivolous clichés. So I guess, as always with Elvis, it wouldn't have been about the musical genere but about the performer and the song.

I think if Elvis would be around today he would have sticked to his: I like all kinds of music IF its good... So maybe he would have liked a few performers and a few songs. But no, not a fan at all of the whole rap aura I guess. Although he loved guns and bling! lol

[ELVIS_]

I hate to burst your bubble but Rap is not even close to R&B or Blues by it self. I had asked a rapper once if Rap is like a modern day blues and he laughed at me and said, "it's not even close". I asked some guys at work that were playing it in their car if it's like blues, I got the same reaction. So If it's not a forum of expression like blues then all that's left is a Bad Attitude with bad "music", by the way Blues has a cord progression and either a trained or natural born "musician' to have an organized thinking process, natural or trained ear to put vocals to music, not a blabber-yapper-japper-yabba-dabba-do-do tude. Rap is just the epitome of people lowering their values of life and does nothing but provide a short cut to thinking.

I don't think Elvis would have done Rap cause it doesn't make sense to natural musician like him. Let's not forget that he did stayed away from certain types of music while alive.

[ELVIS_]

I think if Elvis would be around today he would have sticked to his: I like all kinds of music IF its good... So maybe he would have liked a few performers and a few songs. But no, not a fan at all of the whole rap aura I guess. Although he loved guns and bling! lol(y)

I agree with this part, Raised On Rock

[Turbo]

Elvis, apparently didn't like Heavy Metal according to those who were close to him, so Rap would have to be a bigger "no" in my view.

You have to remember Elvis' age group. Some Rap is quite crude, too, of course it refers to love and sex.

If you think about it, the songs that Elvis chose from those brought to him, were melodic with a message or there was a definite "something" about the song. There was also a lot of talent in the writing and the musicality. The songs that were reported that Elvis personally liked, are similar to those he chose to sing.

When a young man, Elvis' music was modern for his age group, in his time, and had a good beat. Rap isn't the same type. In my view, it goes against his upbringing, his outlook.

If you place someone you know in Elvis' age group, with his background, how well read Elvis was - it would seem an impossibility, in my view. Someone who is raised with religion, in the South, raised to be respectful and to think of others, and practiced that daily, in my view, wouldn't go behind closed doors and listen to "f YOU". If my recollection is correct, Elvis didn't like Bowie. We know he resisted the Beatles because of what they represented at that time, the drugs and that they weren't roll models. So Rap? It is an impossibility.

In my view, and from what I've read when those close to Elvis were asked the question if he liked Heavy Metal; with regard to Rap, a definite "no" as it makes absolutely no sense and his friends said "no", too.

[Turbo]

Being helpful :D

(y)






Elvis didn't know much of hard rock artists
because he didn't listen to them on the radio or their records.

That was the only way he would know of them because he was not exposed to them


If he didn't like their music he would have no reason to want to meet them.
Then again, he really never expressed the desire to meet anyone. That goes for
The Beatles or anyone else.

Marty





He didn't care very much for any of that music, he thought it was a bunch of
noise.

Marty

[boquo2]

Rap is not that far away from Talking Blues, and Hip Hop is the grandson of R&B. We know Elvis was an R&B freak and loved the blues.

I think mostly he would have objected to the street drugs, crime, gangs and pimps image/message of it. But not everything in rap and hip hop is about that, and there are some smart people talented enough to go beyond the frivolous clichés. So I guess, as always with Elvis, it wouldn't have been about the musical genere but about the performer and the song.

I think if Elvis would be around today he would have sticked to his: I like all kinds of music IF its good... So maybe he would have liked a few performers and a few songs. But no, not a fan at all of the whole rap aura I guess. Although he loved guns and bling! lol

I think this is a fair assessment, but Elvis' age difference would also contribute to his lack of empathy with rappers.

[ELVIS_]

Marty Lacker

From what my older cousins told me, they never played Heavy Metal on the radio so Marty might be correct this time.
There's been lots of times Marty got his fact wrong or just wouldn't remember any of what was facts at all.
To quote Paul McCartney "Our fans know more about us than we do at times, they remember everything".

[Turbo]

From what my older cousins told me, they never played Heavy Metal on the radio so Marty might be correct this time.
There's been lots of times Marty got his fact wrong or just wouldn't remember any of what was facts at all.
To quote Paul McCartney "Our fans know more about us than we do at times, they remember everything".


I agree with you, "Elvis _" :D

[hounddog]

when i was at writing at Uni I used US Male and Guitar Man as an ealier step towrads rap than, Blondies Rapture which gets totted around a lot as being the first white rap song. The teacher said she would have to agree that U S Male had the rap swagger as did Guitar Man and in some ways much more so than Rapture.

Personally i don't think Elvis would have liked the negative tones in some rap, but it is as Raised on Rock said Rap is not that far away from talking blues. And there is gospel rap. But Elvis seemed to like big singers, full voices people that used their voices. He may have liked some of the non agressive rap, it's got a good beat.

[Raised on Rock]

...all that's left is a Bad Attitude with bad "music", ...a blabber-yapper-japper-yabba-dabba-do-do tude. Rap is just the epitome of people lowering their values of life and does nothing but provide a short cut to thinking.


Its funny, but that could have been a 50's news article trashing Elvis.

Now about the Blues/R&B - Rap/Hip-Hop link, here's some wiki cut and paste:

Much like dub music, hip hop as a DJing form started with no vocals and was purely of an electronic nature. However, the roots of spoken hip hop music are found in African-American music and ultimately African music, particularly that of the griots of West African culture.[17] The African-American traditions of signifyin', the dozens, and jazz poetry all influence hip hop music, as well as the call and response patterns of African and African-American religious ceremonies. Soul singer James Brown, and musical 'comedy' acts such as Rudy Ray Moore and Blowfly are often considered "godfathers" of hip hop music.
Within New York City, performances of spoken-word poetry and music by artists such as The Last Poets, Gil Scott-Heron[18] and Jalal Mansur Nuriddin had a significant impact on the post-civil rights era culture of the 1960s and 1970s, and thus the social environment in which hip hop music was created.

Not that Rap is the same thing as blues or the modern blues, just as rock and roll wasn't either.

As a side note, rap music started as an effective way of expression from a segregated group of people, just as the blues, it was limited in resources and immediate, more wiki:

Rapping, also referred to as MCing or emceeing, is a vocal style in which the artist speaks lyrically, in rhyme and verse, generally to an instrumental or synthesized beat. Beats, almost always in 4/4 time signature, can be created by sampling and/or sequencing portions of other songs by a producer.[26] They also incorporate synthesizers, drum machines, and live bands. Rappers may write, memorize, or improvise their lyrics and perform their works a cappella or to a beat.

Blues in the pre-war era had african chants and rythms over european folksongs structures, Rap had funk,disco, and electronic music around, blues had diddley bows, old guitars and harmonicas, rap had turn tables and synths, blues had a train beat going from rural to early urban, rap had the hiper noise contaminated modern urban life, blues discovered the electric guitar, rap discovered hardware and software. They both rapped about their alienation and everyday life. "Im going to beat my woman until I get satisfied" was in the lyrics of Robert Johnson right? If rap is more sordid is because this times are.

When blues went mainstream it was mellowed, it got more complex, and richer. Rap, made of alienation and crime a look, that's the cinism of our times, but Rap wasn't that in the latter 70's and early 80's but more about social expression. In recent days some artists are going there again.

No I don't think Elvis would have done rap, and he most likely have disliked the latter 80's and 90's mainstream Snoop Dog type thing, but he might have respected some other kind of rappers.

[Brian Quinn]

No. Elvis was mainly interested in 'the voice'. Further, Elvis did not write his own songs and rarely made social or political comment in them.

Brian

[Snake Eyes]

Rap is an ever evolving style of music that deserves credit. Although the majority of you within this thread don't seem to like it, how many of you have actually explored it in any depth? It isn't just all gangsta, one I'm sure you've all heard is The Message by The Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, this rap is as relevant today as it was in the early 80s.

Another rap that has a message and one of my all time favs is called Da Crossroads by Bones Thugs and Harmony, as fresh now as it was back in 1995 with a very thought provoking video.

But no, given Elvis' age, I don't think he would've liked rap music at all. Music is diverse, but you have to wade through a lot of rubbish to find the gems.

[Unchained Melody]

I honestly doubt it.

[J.P]

Rap is an ever evolving style of music that deserves credit. Although the majority of you within this thread don't seem to like it, how many of you have actually explored it in any depth? It isn't just all gangsta, one I'm sure you've all heard is The Message by The Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, this rap is as relevant today as it was in the early 80s.

Another rap that has a message and one of my all time favs is called Da Crossroads by Bones Thugs and Harmony, as fresh now as it was back in 1995 with a very thought provoking video.

i agree with this(y)

[KPM]

Rap is an ever evolving style of music that deserves credit. Although the majority of you within this thread don't seem to like it, how many of you have actually explored it in any depth? It isn't just all gangsta, one I'm sure you've all heard is The Message by The Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, this rap is as relevant today as it was in the early 80s.

Another rap that has a message and one of my all time favs is called Da Crossroads by Bones Thugs and Harmony, as fresh now as it was back in 1995 with a very thought provoking video.

But no, given Elvis' age, I don't think he would've liked rap music at all. Music is diverse, but you have to wade through a lot of rubbish to find the gems.
I think my biggest objection to rap is much like Chuck Berrys, it is so repetitive in sound-sometimes the best part of good rap songs is when they have sampled music from long past hits-so are you enjoying the rap, or the old hit riff or chorus that you recognise?
But I must admit most of the rap I am exposed to is by accident (or subwoofers from the trunks of passing cars(n))-but even by accident I find 95%of the time its just not for me.

[Turbo]

Rap is an ever evolving style of music that deserves credit. Although the majority of you within this thread don't seem to like it, how many of you have actually explored it in any depth? It isn't just all gangsta, one I'm sure you've all heard is The Message by The Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, this rap is as relevant today as it was in the early 80s.

Another rap that has a message and one of my all time favs is called Da Crossroads by Bones Thugs and Harmony, as fresh now as it was back in 1995 with a very thought provoking video.

But no, given Elvis' age, I don't think he would've liked rap music at all. Music is diverse, but you have to wade through a lot of rubbish to find the gems.



Interestingly, Rap has been around for centuries. I do like when there is a small section of the clean Rap that is placed within songs, as it gives a different dimension to the song.

Yes, Snake Eyes re the age group, Elvis' religious background, he being very well self educated; being from the South with the strict upbringing, which one doesn't understand unless they have been in that culture or a similar culture; what his friends say with regard to his history of not liking Hard Rock or Heavy Metal, it doesn't make any sense whatsoever that he would like Rap. People form their habits and opinions in their formative years, and seem to stay of those opinions with likes and dislikes, it is human nature.

Snake Eyes, I would like to hear some of what you describe as "good Rap" for my own knowledge - could you please share links to particular songs?

[mistymorning]

I think he would be against crime , gangs and drugs which is usually associated with this kind of music but as a kind of music or a new style he would show some attention to Rap music , after all he was a styler and revolutionary in music world in his time . I think he would be interested in it in his own way ..............

[mistymorning]

:
LOL. I don't think I could see Elvis with his pants down to his knees.

very cute comment !!!!!!(y):P:lol:

[ELVIS_]

when i was at writing at Uni I used US Male and Guitar Man as an ealier step towrads rap than, Blondies Rapture which gets totted around a lto as being the first white rap song. The teacher said she would have to agree that U S Male had the rap swagger as did Guitar Man and in some ways much more so than rapture.

Personally i don't think Elvis would have liked the negative tones in some rap, but it is as Raised on Rock is nor that far away from talking blues. NAd there is gospel rap. But Elvis seemed to like big singers, full voices people that used their voices. He may have liked some of the non agressive rap, it's got a good beat.

Spot On! (y)
I could see the songs you had mention and It's a fact that Blondie's "Rapture" was the first song to use some rap but for some reason on her it's sexy and cool sounding.

[hounddog]

I always thought Rappers Delight was the first rap song.

[Snake Eyes]

Turbo, hope this link works. Bones Thugs N Harmony - The Crossroads

http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=GB#/watch?v=VMYAEHE2GrM

I don't think many of you will understand what they're saying, as these guys rap very fast, but this song is special and if you don't like it, well it's not the end of the world. Have a look for yourself.

[Turbo]

Turbo, hope this link works. Bones Thugs N Harmony - The Crossroads

http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=GB#/watch?v=VMYAEHE2GrM

I don't think many of you will understand what they're saying, as these guys rap very fast, but this song is special and if you don't like it, well it's not the end of the world. Have a look for yourself.


Thank you Snake Eyes. I liked the beginning with the woman singing, she was very bluesy. I could see Elvis liking her, enormously.

Anymore, please?

[Turbo]

Spot On! (y)
I could see the songs you had mention and It's a fact that Blondie's "Rapture" was the first song to use some rap but for some reason on her it's sexy and cool sounding.

That is because you are watching the clip, lol.

Here you go, Elvis _ from Wiki:



Rapping is a primary ingredient in hip hop music and reggae, but the phenomenon predates hip hop culture by centuries. It can also be found in alternative rock such as that of Cake and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Rapping is also used in Kwaito music, a genre that originated in Johannesburg, South Africa and is composed of hip hop elements. Rapping can be delivered over a beat or without accompaniment. Stylistically, rap occupies a gray area among speech, prose, poetry, and song. The use of the word to describe quick speech or repartee long predates the musical form, meaning originally "to hit". The word had been used in British English since the 16th century, and specifically meaning "to say" since the 18th. It was part of the African American dialect of English in the 1960s meaning "to converse", and very soon after that in its present usage as a term denoting the musical style Today, the terms "rap" and "rapping" are so closely associated with hip hop music that many use the terms interchangeably.

[ELVIS_]

That is because you are watching the clip, lol.

Here you go, Elvis _ from Wiki:


.

Naaa man...I wasn't watching it, it's all from memory but I might watch it now :D

[hounddog]

this was recorded in 1920
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrgzNI98r78

[Snake Eyes]

Turbo, just for you. Please be aware there is the occassional cuss, but nothing that should offend anyone here.

Biggie Smalls - Juicy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JZom_gVfuw

Kanye West - Jesus Walks (This is a good song, before he sold his soul to roc-a-fella records)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8AyHupByuU

Nas - Life's A B...... (Nas one of the best lyricist ever!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEwSfbE9IXc

If you want more, send me a PM as there are so many fantastic raps out there, content can be explicit and I don't want to upset any members on the board.

[Brian Quinn]

Bought this in 1960 when it first came out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz6IpmmYSXA

Brian :D

[Albert]

I guess Elvis would have disliked it. I'm pretty sure he would find it just as interesting as hard rock from the late 60s/early 70s, the glamrock, the experimental rock, disco, etc.

Elvis' setlist showed the music he liked: gospel, country, some blues and plain rock'n roll.

Being the gentleman he was, I don't think he would trash talk about rap, or publicly dislike it. He probably would give a pc answer when asked like "it's nice to see how music changes over the years" etc

[KPM]

I do not think the rap music of today can honestly be compared to other forms of "rap" going back to African tribal chants....but it all starts somewhere.
As Albert said take a look at Elvis's set list, that is where his heart was at.....look at the songs he really excelled at How Great Thou Art, Hurt, American Trilogy, power ballads etc.....that is where his heart beat loudest.

[Snake Eyes]

I think my biggest objection to rap is much like Chuck Berrys, it is so repetitive in sound-sometimes the best part of good rap songs is when they have sampled music from long past hits-so are you enjoying the rap, or the old hit riff or chorus that you recognise?
But I must admit most of the rap I am exposed to is by accident (or subwoofers from the trunks of passing cars(n))-but even by accident I find 95%of the time its just not for me.

Ken, Ken, Ken, what am I going to do with you lol. Although I can completely understand your point of view, it really is too easy to dismiss rap. Whilst I do agree some beats can be repetitive and sampling songs aggravates the living daylights out of me, for me it is mainly the story that is told and the voice. There are some phenomenal lyricist out there and some raps will never die. I bet I could find a rap you would enjoy, as long as you keep an open mind ;)

[KPM]

Ken, Ken, Ken, what am I going to do with you lol. Although I can completely understand your point of view, it really is too easy to dismiss rap. Whilst I do agree some beats can be repetitive and sampling songs aggravates the living daylights out of me, for me it is mainly the story that is told and the voice. There are some phenomenal lyricist out there and some raps will never die. I bet I could find a rap you would enjoy, as long as you keep an open mind ;)
I'm sure you could find something that I would say "okay not bad" ......if you take a second look you will see I said .....
"95% of the time its not for me" but that leaves a margin of 5% that I have heard and thought "okay not bad"
That still leaves 95% that just grates on my nerves, many times its hard to follow the words (as was pointed out in another post about some rap songs) so perhaps the lyrics are phenomenal on some-but if you can't follow them how could you know?
But having played in a band in my teens, and loving music deeply.......I just have a very different idea of what music is...and unfortunately as I said my feelings fall in line with Chuck Berry thoughts.
One thing that raps backbeat does "just in its being played in cars" is drive most citizens crazy who do not want that "thump thump thump" being audible to them as they drive, work in their yards, sit in their houses trying to watch TV or read, or play their own music.
Honestly subwoofers in cars is so "over the top" it should be outlawed. (and in some communities it is being outlawed)
Most communities have noise ordinances which require nothing beyond about 75 decibels from a distance of 75-100 feet and the culprits who routinely break those laws in the US-are people playing rap in their car "PA Systems with trunk subwoofers" (or should I say PA Systems with subwoofers...on wheels)
The bad rap, against Rap (pun intended) might just be toned down if the people who break the law playing it in their cars would turn it down to legal limits. I can honestly say-I have never heard Hank Williams, The Beatles, Elvis, pounding out of a car so loud that it shook my windows.....now here comes the kicker-do we who love Elvis force his music from out of our cars at illegal limits and make everyone listen who wants to or not? NO!
We have a respect for each person and a respect for the laws which the community has. Not to mention the language which blares from those cars and always a few choice words seem to be understandable...... even above trunk sized subwoofers.
So some Rap may have great lyrics which tell a great story, some may be poets who write them-but I will never be able to understand those lyrics because the backbeat is to loud and like most humans your brain does an uncanny thing it associates differing things with differing things....I hear thump thump thump at an intersection which I know is above legal limits and my thoughts are not about poetry or lyrics...instantly I think
"Have some respect turn that down"
In my community there has been a huge crackdown on noise in rewritting of the ordinances and more enforcement....and thats a problem all across this nation because people are tired of the constant bombardment of sound....... and its not country music, its not rock or hard rock, its not pop, or blues or opera that has caused this....mini revolt.
The rap artists could go along way to getting more possible listeners and added respect if they championed the idea of
"Glad you like my music but please obey local laws-respect your neighbors who do not want to hear it"
SOAPBOX back in the closet.

[Erhan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJXNV_ZOwTc

[Tommy]

http://youtu.be/1fpvX-bfWjc
ELVIS already created all of music's future rock, including rap!!! (y)

[Turbo]

Hi There,

To my understanding, the examples given, of Elvis singing, don't follow the definition of Rap:


Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted. It developed as part of hip hop culture, a subculture defined by four key stylistic elements: MCing/rapping, DJing/scratching, breaking/dancing, and graffiti writing. Other elements include sampling (or synthesis), and beatboxing.

While often used to refer to rapping, "hip hop" more properly denotes the practice of the entire subculture. The term hip hop music is sometimes used synonymously with the term rap music, though rapping is not a required component of hip hop music; the genre may also incorporate other elements of hip hop culture, including DJing and scratching, beatboxing, and instrumental tracks.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rap_Music

[Turbo]

ELVIS already created all of music's future rock, including rap!!! (y)



Tommy,

"Interesting" remix, lol, I had to listen to the original again, the remix hurt my ears and sense of rhythm, lol.

[Turbo]

Turbo, just for you.

If you want more, send me a PM as there are so many fantastic raps out there, content can be explicit and I don't want to upset any members on the board.



Thanks "Snake Eyes".

I appreciate so much that you went to all this trouble for me, and I really enjoyed listening and thank you so much for the offer of a PM for more! I hope you don't mind if I am honest in our discussion. You know one thing that strikes me? So many singers don't have a sense of rhythm, they are off beat and for me, it ruins their work. The girl singing in the first song was the highlight of what you shared with me. Thank you so much. The rest isn't to my taste. There is so much anger, which is understandable, in their lyrics. My preference is melody, and/or a beat, no matter the genre, and Rap doesn't have it for me. I am not closed minded at all to music (y). :D

Thanks again :D

[Snake Eyes]

Thanks "Snake Eyes".

I appreciate so much that you went to all this trouble for me, and I really enjoyed listening and thank you so much for the offer of a PM for more! I hope you don't mind if I am honest in our discussion. You know one thing that strikes me? So many singers don't have a sense of rhythm, they are off beat and for me, it ruins their work. The girl singing in the first song was the highlight of what you shared with me. Thank you so much. The rest isn't to my taste. There is so much anger, which is understandable, in their lyrics. My preference is melody, and/or a beat, no matter the genre, and Rap doesn't have it for me. I am not closed minded at all to music (y). :D

Thanks again :D

Not a problem Turbo, of course I don't mind honesty, I welcome it with open arms. I'm grateful you took the time to listen to some of my preferences before judging. I don't think anyone who dislikes rap has a closed mind, what is music to my ears won't necessarily have the same effect on the next person. I'm pretty diverse in my music collection and think all the music I listen to is good, but then I would though :lol:

For example, my partner cannot stand Elvis, I don't understand this at all, but it's his choice and I won't browbeat him into submission because of it, even though I wish I could :lmfao: